Friday, December 21, 2012

Silent reading is twice as fast as oral reading, but in order to become a better silent reader, you need to develop good fluency. Fluency is simply being able to recognize words automatically as you read, so that you can develop more expression in your reading and read smoothly with expression.

There are two common ways to improve fluency, the direct and indirect way. The direct method has a child read a passage of about 100 words at their reading level. The passage should be decodable but not predictable. The child will read and reread the passage with a certain amount of time until they are fluent. The indirect method encourages kids to read voluntarily in their free time.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Christmas is a very special time of year for most everyone. It is a time when young and old share, laugh, and love. Maybe this year your children can incorporate sharing into their homeschool studies.
You can use the idea of an Advent calendar to schedule special things for your children to do during December. Maybe they can bake goodies for a elderly person in your community, It is always helpful when kids shovel the snow-covered sidewalk for a neighbor or relative. Grandparents LOVE handmade pictures with lots of XOXOX’s at the bottom. Underprivileged kids might enjoy toys your child no longer plays with.
It doesn’t really matter what types of activities your kiddos plan, it is just important they show they care for others.